Of Freedom and Hard Work
by McFucktruck
Summary: Merlin draws maps and is valued for who he is. And also saves a village after it's flooded. Everyone is happy.


When Arthur became king, it was a time of turmoil. A few months later he had abolished the criminality of magic and imposed new laws that held the person accountable for the actions and the consequences of their sorcery. Just like any other citizen who resided in Camelot. His people deserved to live free and without fear of persecution.

Merlin had been a great help with these new laws, and soon after they had been established he nervously confessed to sorcery. Arthur had been silent for a long while, but he saw Merlin in a new light, and after long conversations he had accepted Merlin as he was. Fear of persecution could do vile things to people, as had happened with Morgana. They both knew that.

Nowadays they dealt with threats in unison or at least with the knowledge of what was happening.

Life without secrets had done wonders for Merlin, but he had not known what to do with his spare time seeing as he couldn't possibly stay on as Arthur's manservant. Now he was court sorcerer and while people were wary of him, his powers, and his intentions they couldn't possibly question their Kings decision. And they did know Merlin. It had just taken some time to adjust.

Which was how Merlin found himself on the back of Kilgarrah on a lazy afternoon ride. He was drawing up the borders of Camelot from above. He found the maps which were in use were drawn both tilted, incorrectly drawn, and with scarcely any accuracy except for the directions of where things were. Sure, everyone knew that the village was at the foot of the mountain, but the map showed it at least half a mile wrong, and the size was wrong. What if someone didn't have the knowledge on beforehand and were lost because of faulty information? How could one march armies with inaccurate information of the terrain?

This was one of the reasons he decided to practice as cartographer, but the other reason was that he was quite at peace up in the air. Kilgarrah calmly conversed with him and pointed out things he didn't think about, or the history behind some village, or ritual sites long forgotten.

He drew the map as accurately as he could in the air, and made corrections when they landed.

Surely this would be a great gift for Arthur when he returned.

In the evening he dines with Arthur in his chambers, as per usual.

"What did you do today, sire?" he asked as usual. He knew he had had meetings and such but there was always something he needed to know about the happenings. How else could he protect the kingdom and Arthur?

Arthur sighed and angrily stabbed a tomato. "There's been a flood in the eastern part. An entire village are homeless and the riverbank has been washed away."

"That's not ideal" said Merlin and looked at Arthur curiously. "What are we to do about it?"

"I am taking in the people and distributing food at the moment, but you" he said pointing to Merlin "-are going to have to control the damage. We ride out tomorrow to see what materials we need, or if we have to move the village entirely."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." He answered easily. "Anything else happen?"

"No," said Arthur "just the usual. Fighting over taxes, grain supplies, and the odd fight over a chicken."

"So just a normal day at court then." Said Merlin lightly. "Sounds fun."

Arthur looked irritated. "Are you mocking me?"

"Why sire, I would never." Said Merlin aghast. "How could you accuse me of something like that? Am I not known to be completely honest about everything, all the time?"

"Perhaps you could do with a week at court instead of running around doing who knows what." Said Arthur imperiously.

"I could hardly contribute to those meetings." Said Merlin bitterly. "The court don't like me and they don't value my opinion because of my upbringing."

"Well then maybe they should. I should give you responsibility over something major. Just so they see sense. I can't have them questioning my authority nor the people I employ."

Merlin took a deep drink and thought about it. "It would have to be something I excel in." he said, pondering the idea. "But I don't know much."

"You are the best man I know, Merlin. Surely they should get to know you, and value your counsel as I do."

"I'll think about it." Said Merlin.

"Good." Said Arthur, with nothing to add.

The next day they were up bright and early, heading out with into the woods with a couple of villagers. Who better to advise them on the village than the villagers? Merlin's idea of course.

The men lamented the lost houses and especially the lost fields. When the flood had come the loose dirt had mostly washed away. If they were going to have a harvest they had to replant as soon as possible.

Armed with this knowledge they arrived to the tiny village on the river bend.

"Well, there's going to be work to do, that's for sure." Said Merlin and dismounted.

"How far do the village borders stretch?" Arthur asked the villager.

"I- I don't know sire." Said the villager hesitantly. "We use the fields as far as the woods over there" he pointed to the forest at the beginning to a hill. The river was behind them and the lands in between were very fertile due to the constant addition of notorious sediment.

"What problems have you had in previous years?" asked Merlin. "Lots of floods or grounds that never dry out?" he guessed.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I can feel the dampness in the earth. This is no new problem you have. It was merely bad luck that the rains were so heavy in the mountains." He explained.

They walked around the village for some time and tried to make sense of the damaged houses, and what solutions they could find to the watery problems.

Arthur walked away with Merlin after some while and talked in a low voice. "What can you do for them?" he asked. "I cannot see an easy solution. If we move the village to the edge of the woods they won't have problems with the houses, but the ground will be too damp in any case. It needs to be planted soon, but this is just mud."

"I thought the same, Arthur." Said Merlin, the troubles weighing heavily in his mind. "I might have some ideas but I scarcely have the power to do them alone."

"What ideas?" Asked Arthur as he values Merlin's advice.

"Let's sit down." He said and unraveled the map he had been working on just the day before. The thick hide had been drawn on in precise manners and the guidelines made everything fall into place.

"The river bend is the real problem. There is too much moisture and the water moves too slowly. If one could deepen the river there would probably be less problems. But I can't seem to figure out how exactly one might do that. It would take a lot of power" he said absentmindedly.

"What kind of map is this?!" Arthur exclaimed. "I have never seen something so precise. I must have cost a fortune."

"Well, no more than the hide it is drawn upon." said Merlin cheekily. "I made it myself."

Arthur looked lost for words but he found them anyway. "How could you have drawn it like this? Is there a spell for it? Can you make more?" he asked excitedly.

"No spell," Merlin smiled. "Just a very friendly dragon and my keen eyes. I marked the borders of Albion and made reference to as many villages as I could find. It's not nearly finished yet but it shouldn't take more than a week's work to finish it."

Pride shone out of his eyes as he waited for Arthur's reaction.

"Can I see?" he asked and carefully brought the map closer to his face. He looked at the accuracy of the map and the woods, of which he knew almost everything about. He knew how to find his way through them but he had never seen them on this scale before. It was a marvel.

"You absolutely must make more of these" he commanded happily "a larger retelling of all of Albion to sit on the wall of the council chambers. It will be proof of your dedication to the council, and they cannot deny your usefulness with such a reminder every day."

"A bit much to cover an entire wall, don't you think?"

"I am King, Merlin. I shall have no need for shame or any need to hide. This map will make a point."

Merlin shared a smile with Arthur and happily agreed. More time in the air was never a bad idea, and he had of mind to make some detailed maps of Camelot too. It would be easier to plan the defense in case of battle if one could make such detailed plans.

"Aside from the map, I figured we need a plan of the village." He interrupted the flattery and went into business mode. "We need to make canals to divert the water from the fields. Perhaps they could join the river and prevent the flooding."

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked Arthur soberly "the manpower alone would be a large problem, but time is of the essence. If the fields are not sown soon the people will starve."

"I am very well aware of that" said Merlin grimly. "But what solutions could possibly apply here. The ground is much too moist and we need to drain the earth, at least partly." He sighed "And then there is the matter of houses, barns and wells."

"Well let's draw up a plan and talk with the villagers. Perhaps they have some ideas." Said Arthur dejectedly and went to work, trying to design an entire village.

It was some hours before the villages approached them, offering some food they had cooked with the supplies. The warm food was a welcome addition and they began the discussions.

"I cannot see how this would improve the fields, m'lord" they said confusedly as Merlin talked about the trenches between the fields.

"If the water finds a way out there will be less mud, flooding and easier harvests." Merlin explained. "They will need some tidying up every five to ten years or so, lest they grow too narrow."

"Of course" mumbled the villagers, but they were not quite convinced. "And how do you think we will be able to finish this with time to plant the fields?" they were worried about the amount of work this meant. The time it would take and how to manage it all before it was too late.

"With my help, of course" said Merlin. "I can work on it bit by bit but you will need help with rebuilding the houses and such. I can't see a reason to move them if we improve the grounds."

"And what can you do alone?" they scoffed. Arthur smirked.

"He'll work his magic, I suspect." Said Arthur cheekily.

The crowd went very still. _Is he the sorcerer_ , they whispered. _No he cannot be, I heard it was an old man. I heard he breathes fire. I heard he is very powerful, this can't be him…_

"Enough." Said Arthur as he saw Merlin shrink in on himself, suddenly uncomfortable. "Merlin is a sorcerer and he is my truest friend. He will not harm you, I can promise you that. And that was final, he added mentally.

"You can work magic?" they asked Merlin hesitantly.

"Yes" he said thickly. "I have magic."

"He is more than just magic." Added Arthur. "He can be useful sometimes, too. This is your lucky day."

They grumbled a little to each other but they could not detect any malice from Merlin. Yet they regarded him with suspicion. News traveled slowly on the country and many had a difficult time to let go of the past.

"wEll!" said Merlin abruptly. "We'd better get to work then."

"I'll leave you in Merlin's capable hands" said Arthur, delegating all responsibility to Merlin. "I'll send more men soon and material to rebuild the damage to the houses. I'll expect you to treat Merlin as he deserves, no matter how you may feel about sorcerers. He will do well to this village." He looked the villagers sternly in the eye and they conceded.

The following days Merlin worked on moving as much of the earth as he could, but it was slow going. The mud was thick and sopping wet, the flooded fields were difficult to manage. As soon as he had moved one mound of dirt it easily tried to slip back in place, making it more difficult than it necessarily had to be.

After some time he decided to create a lake in the dampest part. He drew on the magic of the Earth and bade it to move. Creating a deep hole and moving the earth up on the fields, it certainly made it easier to handle deepening the river.

The villagers saw him work, and found him to be a nice young man. He was thoughtful, compassionate and above all well-liked. They could scarcely believe they had been afraid of him mere days ago.

His actions more than spoke of his character.

After a week the trenches were made, the small lake was completed, and they could begin to sow the fields before it was too late in the season. Merlin even helped them repair and dry out some of the water damage the houses had taken.

All in all the mission was a success.

When Arthur returned with a delegation armed with grain and more supplies to last the village through the rest of spring, he saw an entirely transformed landscape.

"Maybe this should be your responsibility for real, Merlin" he commented lightly. "You could do quite some work on roads and other problems."

"I could not bear to be away from Camelot that much. You know this Arthur." said Merlin absentmindedly. "I cannot protect you if I am away."

"I understand." He contemplated. "But perhaps you should be in the council then. To plan ahead of such disasters."

"We'll see." Said Merlin, not unhappily, but wary of the troubles of court. "We'll see."


End file.
